Pune (Gurpreet Singh): The Central Bureau of Investigation informed a Pune court on Sunday that Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, a local school principal arrested in connection with the NEET-UG examination paper leak scandal, allegedly traded confidential test materials with students in exchange for financial kickbacks. The federal agency disclosed the details while securing a transit remand for the accused, who is scheduled to be produced before a designated court in New Delhi on Monday to face further custodial interrogation.
Havaldar, who serves as the principal of Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, was apprehended by federal investigators on Friday after being identified as a primary source of the structural security breach. During the National Testing Agency’s administrative setup for the NEET UG-2026 medical entrance test, she had been formally empanelled as an official translator for the physics section. According to the investigative findings, Havaldar systematically exploited her specialized access to retain handwritten notes of the translation scripts during her secure assignment.
The agency’s submission revealed that Havaldar operated in close coordination with a botany lecturer from the Modern College of Arts and Science, identified as Manisha Mandhare, who is already in judicial custody. The duo allegedly disseminated the compromised physics and botany question banks to a select group of candidates via encrypted WhatsApp messages and physical printouts just days prior to the nationwide examination. The CBI noted that Havaldar admitted to receiving illicit payments of 20,000 rupees and 25,000 rupees from different beneficiaries before attempting to destroy the incriminating evidence by deleting digital chat histories and burning her physical notes.
The competitive NEET-UG examination, which was conducted across the country on May 3 for admissions into undergraduate medical programs, was subsequently cancelled by the central government following widespread protests and structural irregularities. The Union Education Ministry swiftly transferred the multi-state probe over to the CBI to execute a comprehensive institutional audit and dismantle the corrupt networks subverting the national evaluation process. With Havaldar’s arrest, the total number of individuals apprehended by federal authorities in connection with the paper leak case has risen to ten.
